High voltage switch utilizing low voltage MOS transistors with high voltage breakdown isolation junctions

1. A high voltage switch having first and second states comprising:

(a) an input receiving an input voltage that is greater than a supply voltage;

(b) first, second, and third metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures of a first conductivity type, each having a gate, a source, and a drain, the sources and drains of each of the MOS structures being electrically coupled in series between the input and ground;

(c) an output electrically coupled to the input;

(d) at least one additional MOS structure of the first conductivity type and having a gate, a source, and a drain, the source and drain of the at least one additional MOS structure being coupled in series between the second and third MOS structures, whereby:

when the switch is in the first state, the gate of the first MOS structure is pulled to ground, the gate of the second MOS structure is pulled to the supply voltage, the gate of the third MOS structure is pulled to a voltage greater than the supply voltage and less than the input voltage, and the gate of the at least one additional MOS structure is pulled to a voltage greater than the voltage of the gate of the second MOS structure and less than the voltage of the gate of the third MOS structures, and

when the switch is in the second state, the gates of all of the MOS structures are pulled to the supply voltage.

2. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the gate of the second MOS structure is electrically coupled directly to the supply voltage.

3. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the first conductivity type is one of n-type and p-type.

4. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the voltage of the output is generally equal to the input voltage when the switch is in the first state.

5. The switch of claim 1 , wherein voltage of the output is generally equal to a total saturation voltage of the first, second, third, and at least one additional MOS structures when the switch is in the second state.

6. The switch of claim 1 , wherein breakdown voltages of each of the first, second, third, and at least one additional MOS structures are greater than the supply voltage.

7. A high voltage switch having first and second states comprising:

(a) an input receiving an input voltage that is greater than a supply voltage;

(b) first, second, and third metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures of a first conductivity type, each having a gate, a source, and a drain, the sources and drains of each of the MOS structures being electrically coupled in series between the input and ground, the gate of the second MOS structure being directly coupled to the supply voltage;

(c) an output electrically coupled to the input; and

(d) a voltage divider electrically coupled between the input and the supply voltage and having an output coupled to the gate of the third MOS structure, whereby:

when the switch is in the first state, the gate of the first MOS structure is pulled to ground, the gate of the second MOS structure is pulled to the supply voltage, and the gate of the third MOS structure is pulled to a voltage greater than the supply voltage and less than the input voltage, and

when the switch is in the second state, the gates of all of the MOS structures are pulled to the supply voltage.

8. The switch of claim 7 , further comprising:

(e) a source follower MOS structure of the first conductivity type having a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate of the source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled to the output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled between the input and the gate of the third MOS structure.

9. The switch of claim 8 , further comprising:

(f) a discharge MOS structure of a second conductivity type having a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate of the discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled to the output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled in series between the gate of the third MOS structure and the supply voltage, the second conductivity type being opposite to the first conductivity type.

10. The switch of claim 7 , further comprising:

(e) a reverse-biased diode electrically coupled between the input and the voltage divider.

11. The switch of claim 7 , wherein the voltage divider is one of a resistive voltage divider and a capacitive voltage divider.

12. The switch of claim 7 , wherein the voltage of the output is generally equal to the input voltage when the switch is in the first state.

13. The switch of claim 7 , wherein voltage of the output is generally equal to a total saturation voltage of the first, second, and third MOS structures when the switch is in the second state.

14. The switch of claim 7 , wherein breakdown voltages of each of the first, second, and third MOS structures are greater than the supply voltage.

15. A high voltage switch having first and second states comprising:

(a) an input receiving an input voltage that is greater than a supply voltage;

(b) first, second, third, and fourth metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures of a first conductivity type, each having a gate, a source, and a drain, the sources and drains of each of the MOS structures being electrically coupled in series between the input and ground, the gate of the second MOS structure being electrically coupled directly to the supply voltage;

(c) an output electrically coupled to the input;

(d) a voltage divider electrically coupled between the input and the supply voltage and having a first output coupled to the gate of the fourth MOS structure and a second output coupled to the gate of the third MOS structure; and

(e) a reverse-biased diode electrically coupled between the input and the voltage divider, whereby:

when the switch is in the first state, the gate of the fourth MOS structure is pulled to a first voltage, the gate of the third MOS structure is pulled to a second voltage, and the gate of the first MOS structure is pulled to ground, the first voltage being less than the input voltage and greater than the second voltage, the second voltage being greater than the supply voltage, and

when the switch is in the second state, the gates of the first, third, and fourth MOS structures are pulled to the supply voltage.

16. The switch of claim 15 , further comprising:

(f) first and second source follower MOS structures of the first conductivity type, each having a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate of the first source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled to the first output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the first source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled between the input and the gate of the fourth MOS structure, the gate of the second source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled to the second output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the second source follower MOS structure being electrically coupled between the gate of the fourth MOS structure and the gate of the third MOS structure; and

(g) first and second discharge MOS structures of a second conductivity type, each having a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate of the first discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled to the first output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the first discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled between the gate of the fourth MOS structure and the gate of the third MOS structure, the gate of the second discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled to the second output of the voltage divider, the source and drain of the first discharge MOS structure being electrically coupled between the gate of the third MOS structure and the supply voltage, the second conductivity type being opposite to the first conductivity type.